Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade just launched, and fans were quick to discover that the PS5 upgrade added a little more than just some enhanced graphics and a DLC. As a rather pleasant surprise, Intergrade added several extra minutes of footage to the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. CAUTION: BIG SPOILERS AHEAD for Intergrade's additional footage, so players who want to experience the surprise ending for themselves first should turn back now.

When Final Fantasy 7 Remake was released last year, it became crystal clear that Square Enix isn't looking to simply retell 1997's Final Fantasy 7. In a stroke of poetic genius, the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake literally sees the characters defeat the Arbiter of Fate, which essentially frees them from the confines of the original story. Not everyone was happy with the ending, but others thought it was a brilliant way to turn a remake into a reimagining. Now, no one really knows what's coming next.

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One of the things that surprised players the most at the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake was the return of Zack Fair. Alive, no less. In the original Final Fantasy 7 timeline, Zack Fair died fighting Shinra soldiers at Cloud's side. When he was gone, Cloud adopted Zack's persona and history as his own, essentially blocking out his true memories. Zack is essential for the Final Fantasy 7 narrative to exist the way it does, and changing his role could change everything.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake revealed that, presumably in an alternate timeline, Zack Fair survives the encounter with Shinra and helps an injured Cloud get to Midgar. There's a beautiful moment where Zack crosses paths with Aerith and she clearly senses his and Cloud's presence as they head in opposite directions. Everyone knew that scene was important, but Intergrade confirmed that Zack is here to stay and his role shouldn't be underestimated.

At the end of Intergrade, players meet Zack again, this time standing outside of the church where Aerith tends to her flowers. He nervously practices what he'll say when he sees her. Upon entering the church, however, Aerith is nowhere to be found. Instead, the church is filled with refugees seeking sanctuary after the fall of the Sector 7 plate. There's a lot to unpack here, and the scene hints at what Zack's goal might be going into the next installment.

As soon as players see Zack, it's pretty clear he exists in another timeline. The dead giveaway is the drawing of Stamp, a cartoon dog who serves as a mascot for the Shinra Electric Company. The version of Stamp players see while playing through the remake is drastically different from the Stamp on the flyer that blows by Zack and Cloud after defeating the Shinra soldiers. Zack is almost definitely in an alternate version of reality, and in future games, players may start to see those realities intersect.

When Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith, and Red 13 defeat the Arbiter of Fate, they also appear to leave their reality and enter another. They could be entering a timeline of their own (for a grand total of 3), but that could start to get convoluted very quickly. It's more likely, they are simply leaving the established story that players experienced in 1997 and crossing over into a reality in which Zack is very much alive.

That would make Zack looking for Aerith a huge deal. It's possible there are multiple versions of the main characters in this second reality, and it's equally possible there's not- the rules of the universe have yet to be explained- but Zack is very much alive and is guaranteed to have a huge presence in the upcoming story. The Intergrade scene confirmed that he's on a mission to reunite with Aerith, so it is incredibly likely that his path will cross with the party's in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2.

The other suggested possibility for Zack is that the destruction of the Arbiter of Fate sent a shockwave through space and time; fans saw something like that happen towards the end of the remake. It is possible that rather than creating an alternate reality, that shockwave freed other characters from their fates as well and Zack survived the Shinra encounter. The separate reality seems more likely, but wherever Zack is, what does that mean for Cloud? Aerith could also be hugely impacted.

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The big question mark surrounding Zack Fair being alive in this version of Final Fantasy 7 is how that changes the world. Anyone familiar with games like Life is Strange knows that changing events in the past (or different things happening in other timelines) can have ripple effects that no one expected. In Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2, the possibilities are endless.

If Zack had survived, Cloud probably never would have adopted Zack's personality and memories as a SOLDIER. Cloud no longer believing himself to be a SOLDIER changes everything about his identity. Before Zack died, Cloud was too ashamed to visit Tifa because he failed to become a SOLDIER; if he never adopts that belief, he might never go back to see her or join Avalanche. If Cloud doesn't join Avalanche, he doesn't fall into Aerith's church. The chain reaction goes on and on.

It remains to be seen if there will be a new, different version of Cloud, or if the Cloud players know will have his memories challenged even more as the consequences of their actions ripple through time and space. Only time will tell, but everything about Cloud and who he is in the Final Fantasy 7 narrative seems to hinge on Zack.

One of the other huge questions fans have about how the remake will change the Final Fantasy 7 story is Aerith's ultimate fate. Aerith's death is one of the most iconic scenes in video game history and fans aren't in agreement over whether she should die in the remake or not. It's a sad moment but was crucial to the story.

Some fans of the original feel that changing Aerith's fate would be a disservice to the 1997 game and weaken the significance of her sacrifice, while others can't stand the thought of losing her again and want a happier ending. Cloud wasn't able to save Aerith in the original Final Fantasy 7, but if Zack joins it could be another story.

Part 1 director Tetsuya Nomura vaguely commented on the question in Final Fantasy 7 Ultimania, where he revealed that a specific character is alive and leads to a great mystery. Other developers commented that two Clouds should not live in the same time and space, but just because they shouldn't doesn't mean they aren't. Final Fantasy 7 wasn't the simplest story to follow in 1997, and now the remake is making things that much more complicated.

However, the Intergrade scene confirms one very specific thing: Zack is looking for Aerith. At some point, he is going to find her and that could change everything. Everything will become much clearer once fans understand where and when the characters are at the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but for now, Zack's surprising inclusion in Intergrade all but confirms he will play a huge role in Part 2.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is available now on PS5.

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